Seedlings Subsidy Initiative
Coconut
The area under coconut has been declining. However, through AFA’ s seedling subsidy program in the past eight years are in production. The coconut seedling subsidy programme began in the year 2009 and its target was to avail high quality coconut seedlings to increase the area under coconut production, improve the productivity of coconuts and rehabilitate senile orchards.
The total number of seedlings distributed are 2,432,651 (NOCD, Status Report 2022). Further, there are ongoing initiatives by County governments to provide farmers with coconut seedlings. The commodities fund and private sector players also contract trained nursey operators to raise seedlings for distribution to farmers.
The interventions will also expand the area under edible oil crops across fifteen (15) growing counties from the current 60,000 ha to 250,000ha. The project will promote oil crops in ten (10) non-traditional counties. The productivity which is currently low at an average of 0.3 - 0.5 tonnes/ha will increase to 2.0 tonnes/ha as a result of interventions from this project.
Cashew
The Directorate has supported the distribution of cashew seedlings in the Coastal Counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Embu, Makueni and Kitui Counties.
Since inception in 2018, a total of 353,269 cashew seedlings have been issued to farmers in addition to: Capacity building of nursery operators and county extension staff on cashew nursery management. So far a total of 92 nursery operators and county agricultural staff have been trained on cashew nursery management. The programme has also Established model nurseries for practical training demonstrations.